NEWS BULLETIN of the BOHEMIAN WIREHAIRED POINTING GRIFFON CLUB OF AMERICA EDUCATION & RESEARCH FOUNDATION.

Transcription

1 April The 2016 Gun BWPGCA Dog E&R FOUNDATION Supreme Page NEWS BULLETIN of the BOHEMIAN WIREHAIRED POINTING GRIFFON CLUB OF AMERICA EDUCATION & RESEARCH FOUNDATION April 2016 Volume 91, Number 2 April 2016 A New Generation Zak Ross with Dorka z Podřipské stráně Copyright 2016 Bohemian Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Club of America Education and Research Foundation. No part may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the Bohemian Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Club of America Education and Research Foundation.

2 April 2016 THE GUN DOG SUPREME April 2016 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Greetings: I had the opportunity to attend the annual Board of Directors Meeting, Judges Seminar and Rocky Mountain Griffon Club spring test recently. It s always impressive to witness the hard work, commitment and dedication that our furry-faced fouseks generate in a group of people. In addition to the obvious positives like seeing old friends, watching the dogs in action on test days and having an informative seminar, there are always the little touches like wild game dishes for dinner topped off with Vince Esposito s hand made gelato for desert. It was really great to experience the Rocky Mountain Chapter hospitality. Incidentally, the Board of Directors meeting audio is available on our website at: You can view a complete photo gallery of this test and others at: Sorry. We didn t save you any of Vince's gelato! Rem DeJong On the Cover: At the Rocky Mountain Spring 2016 test, Apprentice judge, Zeb Breuckman starts irst time handler, Zak Ross, (grandson of long time member, Glenn Lehrer), on the Track of a Live Bird, running Dorka z Podřipské stráně. Dorka is a Cesky Fousek pup imported from the Czech Republic. (photo by Rem DeJong) For information requests or to join the WPGCA please Robin at: rstrathy@q.com Or visit our web page at EDITORS Rem DeJong John Pitlo SUBSCR./BACK ISSUES Printed bi-monthly, the GDS is included with a $60.00 membership to the BWPGCA. Gift subscriptions are $20.00/year and and back issues are 20 for $15 Subscription and back issuerequests should be sent to: Robin Strathy 441 Flood Road Great Falls, MT rstrathy@q.com ARTICLE SUBMISSION Send articles or proposals 1 month prior to publication to: Rem DeJong Ph: (906) (EST) dejongrem@gmail.com PHOTO SUBMISSION All photos should be sent to: Rem DeJong 7219 St Charles Place Kalamazoo MI Ph: (EST) dejongrem@gmail.com for photo submission instructions. Include the name of the dog and owner, and photographer. Digital photos are required; use large file size settings. If scanned use 300dpi (grayscale).you can them or request instructions for uploading to website. WEBSITES E&R Foundation: Bohemian Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Club: BWPGCA Photo Gallery: Find Us on Facebook at: OFFICERS Jim Crouse-President Andy Rupp-Vice President Robin Strathy Secretary Zeb Breuckman Treasurer DIRECTORS at LARGE Ken Hurtig Ted Silver Rick Molt John Pitlo Jim Seibel

3 April 2016 BWPGCA E&R FOUNDATION Page 1 Jar Finds a New Home by Craig Kukay I had determined that my next dog would be a wirehaired pointing griffon. I had chosen this breed after reading about how good they were as family dogs, and especially how well they got along with children. While searching the Internet, I came upon the BWPGCA website; I saw a phone number with a local area code and called it. The number belonged to Jim Crouse, who as it turned out, lives only a couple miles away from me. He invited my family to his home so that we could meet and see his dogs. We met, talked about dogs and the BWPG- CA that evening. He encouraged me to read every part of the website. After reading about puppy placement, testing, health, genetics, and training days, I felt that this was a solid club with all the resources available to help me throughout the entire process, from getting a puppy to training it --all the way to A Long Awaited Arrival: Almost home, Jar z Lovčických tarasů meets Mason (left) and Craig Kukay (right) after a long flight from the Czech Republic. (photo by author)

4 Page 2 THE GUN DOG SUPREME April 2016 it hunting successfully. I had never gotten a puppy before without going to see the kennel, meeting the breeder, and looking at the sire and dam, but I had complete confidence with everyone with whom I had spoken in the club. The process of importing my puppy was extremely easy. The club members took care of everything. Picking up the dog at U.S. Customs was very exciting. Both my son and my cousin, who has been my long-time hunting partner, accompanied me. The people at Customs were folks with whom it was easy to get along. There were no problems other than a minor issue over a rabies shot, which, as it turned out, was not required. When we finally got Jar (Jar z Lovčických tarasů), he bolted out of his kennel to greet my son, Mason, who immediately took him outside for a run. After many hours in a kennel, Jar was ready for some exercise. Jim had told me to bring some water and towels to clean the dog up, just in case, but he wasn t too dirty and overall was in great shape. We let him run and run. Then we gave him some food and water before heading home. He slept all that night. On his first day home, Jar had several visitors, including Jim and his family. Jar has blended into our family and routine easily, and I am fortunate that I can take him to work with me on most days. He is fond of playing fetch and running around the yard with my son. He is sociable with our friends, children, and anyone who comes around! He always greets everyone in a calm manner. An added plus has been how good a watchdog he has turned out to be, nicely alerting us to visitors. I am lucky to have a State of Ohio dog training area just minutes from our house, plus an almost unlimited amount of woods, ponds, fields and ditches where I exposed Jar to every smell imaginable. This began almost immediately after arriving home. When five months old, both his first point and retrieve happened on the same occasion. While out for regular exposure/exercise in our dog training area, he was running through a field, and suddenly he stopped and pointed a pheasant. Afterward, Jar also made a decent first retrieve, right back to me! I was very excited, to say the least. Our first hunting season included several trips to Iowa and South Dakota with other club members and their dogs, as well as hunting pheasant and ducks near our house. Jar is pretty steady while duck hunting, and enjoys the water, to which he has taken well. Our work for the upcoming NAT includes our chapter training days, and many days in the fields, woods and water around our house, plus some yard work. We have spent the early spring looking for shed antlers and we are beginning to look for mushrooms. Every time we are out doing anything, Jar is with us. There was an issue with Jar urinating in the house for a while, but after talking to other club members and taking their suggestions, that issue has been resolved. The resources within the club and the experiences of other club members has been invaluable. Everyone has something to offer, and members, new and old, should take advantage of all this knowledge. That has been one of the best parts of this whole affair for me so far. Jar is a very good dog. He is not quite one-year-old, as I write this, but we have tried to expose him to everything that we could. He is so loving and has bonded with me and my family from the beginning. I believe his bond to us is as deep as ours is to him!

5 April 2016 BWPGCA E&R FOUNDATION Page 3 Anyone looking for a puppy from our club should thoroughly understand what the club requires, and take full advantage of what the club and its members have to offer. I had complete, albeit blind, trust in the puppy placement and import process. It certainly worked out well for Jar and my family, and I recommend it to others. Now, we have a Cesky Fousek and he has us! Jar has a new pack: After a long plane ride cooped up in a crate, Jar z Lovčických tarasů enjoys some physical touch from his new buddy, Mason, as he settles in for the last leg of the trip to his new home in Deleware, Ohio. (photo by the author)

6 Page 4 THE GUN DOG SUPREME April 2016 You Just Might Be in Big Trouble!! Hiding Won t Help! If you haven t paid your membership fee for 2016 yet, this is your last issue of the GDS. We don t want to lose you, so please, get er done. It s easy. Go on-line right now and fill out the form at: You can pay your chapter and national dues right on line or mail in your check. Please do it now before you forget. Contact Robin Strathy with questions at: rstrathy@q.com

7 April 2016 BWPGCA E&R FOUNDATION Page 5 Note on Archiving Club Materials from Laurie Connell Jen Lachowiec and I recently received, via John Pitlo and Jim Seibel, several boxes full of club documents, old studbooks, and other archival or historical club material originally collected by Joan Bailey. There also have been some other documents that Joan sent to me directly. Jen and I realized that we now have a chance to archive our club history and have been trying to collect more material. Sadly, many excellent items have been lost over the years so we would like to be sure we archive what we have left. For example, John Lundberg will be sending me boxes of information, health records, and photos from some of the first Český fousek that we imported. I recently met with the University of Maine library archivist, Desiree Butterfield, to get guidance on how we should archive our club materials. In addition, Rick Sojda is talking with Cornell University to find out about their interest in our submitting our things to them as a Special Collection. As you all may know, Jen has gotten bound a complete set of the GDS from 1951 through I would like an additional complete set to place in a library special collection, but we are missing a number of issues or have poor quality copies only. We have two copies of a hand colored 10 generation circular pedigree made by General Rogers for Elfin d'argent (1951 BOB Westminster). The copy I have is not in very good shape. Desiree provided some suggestions on how to handle the document. I have had some old French studbooks rebound and am waiting to get an additional one repaired. There are some, but not many, photos here in Maine from various tests and litters. Organization and identification of them will be an additional project. I brought some to Idaho for everyone to look at and we made some progress with identification. If you might have some material we could archive please search your basements or attics for photos, kennel records, import pedigrees, copies of older pedigrees, and historical correspondence? We are missing a number of old photos, kennel records, and studbooks that we thought should have been in the boxes that Joan shipped as well as General Roger's scrapbook that he started in I have tried to contact old club members that are no longer active for help on this as well, but if you all could reach out to others who might have suitable material we would appreciate it. I recently found out that Ed Mashke, someone who imported Český fousek some time ago, has passed away so we have lost the chance to get any documents from him. I plan a trip to Toronto area sometime this year to get pedigree information from the CKC, so I might combine the trip with visiting some Český fousek breeders in Canada. Many thanks!! Laurie [You can Laurie at: Laurie_Connell@umit.maine.edu]

8 Page 6 THE GUN DOG SUPREME April 2016 Report on BWPGCA s Importing of Cesky Fousek Puppies, Rick Sojda, Laurie Connell, & Jen Lachowiec The three of us continue to manage the importing of puppies for the club from the Czech Republic. Here is the report we provided to the Board of Directors prior to the Annual Meeting, updated from then. Our objective has remained constant over the four years we have imported: to import good hunting and family dogs with sound temperaments from a diverse genetic background that have the potential to contribute to our North American Cesky Fousek breeding pool. So far, we think we have been successful and have imported (or soon will have) a total of 30 puppies; 16 females and 14 males. We have had two dogs from 2014 that cannot be bred, one due to a severely malformed hip, and one due to being monorchid (only one teste drops). It is not perfectly clear that both of these conditions are genetic, but we are proceeding under that assumption. We have had three dogs with nonstandard coats, one too short with little underfur, and two that are too soft. Those dogs may or may not be breedable, depending to whom they might be bred, and the Breeding Committee will have that discussion once their testing and other requirements are complete. Overall, the dogs seem quite similar to the rest of our club dogs that have a great deal of Fousek blood in them, which is not too surprising. We hear nothing but positive comments from members regarding both hunting abilities and temperament. We wish to acknowledge member Mike Reilly for bringing issues of genetic diversity in our older program to our attention along with the need to manage our gene pool as a rare breed by bringing in outside blood. We also thank Hiram Adelman and Brook Merrow for being the impetus for initiating the import program in They travelled to the Czech Republic and brought back Cira and Eider. And, in the Czech Republic, none of this would have been possible without the help of Pavel Dostál, Pavel Horák, Silvie, Neradalová, and Jaroslav Havlát. We can not say enough good things about their level of effort, expertise, and cooperation. In 2015, we collected $1,300 for each puppy, for a total of $15,600. The average cost of a puppy was $1,095 --all costs, including the puppy, vet costs (shots, tattoo, chip), shipping kennel, small payment to the Czechs for their effort ($50 plus mileage for each puppy), and shipping (including the pet transport service). The club Treasurer handles all transactions with club members and with the Czech Club via Pavel Dostál using PayPal to wire the funds. Each owner was asked to donate $200 to the E&RF. This left a balance of $5 per puppy which was not refunded. In 2016, we are collecting $1,350 per puppy, again asking for a $200 donation, and have included the BWPGCA registration fee, and the Cornell DNA BioBank fee. We average the shipping costs to the different US cities over all the pups imported in any one year, and the member then pays the average cost. This makes the cost of each import the same, as the costs in the Czech Republic are standardized, as well. Logic Guiding Our Import Program in 2016 Rick originally prepared the following notes for the benefit of the Breeding Committee as we began to prepare for our 2016 program. These were accepted,

9 April 2016 BWPGCA E&R FOUNDATION Page 7 and then guided our efforts. They have been tweaked slightly, here, for clarification. Some of this may no longer be current, but we are providing what we provided in planning, and prior to, this year s import program. Assumptions: 1. We will have more people wanting pups that we can supply with domestic litters again in a. We can likely breed two dogs in 2016: one H of Dutchman s Hollow; Cira od Aliny z Nehvizd. NOTE: As of the date of this GDS, the Breeding Committee has not agreed to breed Cira. 2. We should not breed any dog before it is three years old. 3. We should try to breed imports with other imports (or semen). 4. Members seem to find the extra cost of an imported puppy to be reasonable ($1,300 in 2015). 5. Color is not a consideration in importing, other than individual member preference to some degree. 6. Although the objective is that every import will contribute to the breeding program, this is not likely. And, unexpected things (injuries, personal issues, etc.) will result in some good dogs not being bred. Guidelines and Logic: 1.The more dogs we import, the more difficult it is to import unrelated dogs. a. Importing related puppies (half-siblings) is OK as long they are not the majority being imported. b. In these cases, try to import the opposite sex for the second dog unless the first is not breedable for some reason. 2. We still want to focus on dogs with good coats, good temperaments, great cooperation, strong hunting drive, and that are not too big of runners (recognizing the subjectivity in the latter). a. Import no dogs closely related to Jena od Tyrše or Brita Eso based on coat, although they seem to be great hunters so far. We know that some of Brita s littermates in the CR have received excellent exterior ratings and have good coats. 3. Shy away from dogs with more German shorthair-like coats and conformation. 4. Import no dogs with known alopecia phenotype (L/L as designated on the Czech pedigrees) as parents or grandparents. a. One great grandparent with alopecia phonotype is OK, if the other side of the pedigree has no alopecia phenotype, and alopecia carriers (L) are minimal. 5. We will generally shy away from dogs from Line II (alopecia more prevalent, more German shorthair-like, bigger runners), and recognize that importing Line X dogs might tend to give us bigger runners. The latter is not inherently bad, and Jaroslav Havlát (Czech Director of Breeding) continues to recommend some of these for us on occasion. 6. We will generally not import a dog with a parent having a score of less than 3 in any one event, unless the other parent is very strong in that same category.

10 Page 8 THE GUN DOG SUPREME April Other than any constraints listed above, we will continue to aim for maximizing genetic diversity. 8. The Letter we sent to Pavel Dostal, Pavel Horák, and Sylvie Neradalová last year is still valid guidance. Letter Sent to Our Collaborators in the Czech Republic About 2016 Efforts Each year, Rick has sent a letter to our Czech collaborators reiterating our joint ideas describing the characteristics of the dogs we will import, recognizing that there are no guarantees when dealing with dogs! The letter is provided to our Board of Directors so that they remain aware of how we continue to communicate to ensure we have little, or no, miscommunication on the goals of our import program. Here is the one sent in Dear Pavel, Pavel, and Silvie We wish to continuing expanding our collaboration with you and the Cesky Fousek Club. As you know, I am promoting the idea that we are only importing dogs across national boundaries, not genetic ones. Our increased collaboration will allow us to test this hypothesis. Thank you for all that you have done and all you continue to do. Silvie, your MS research should also help. These notes are what I sent Pavel D last year to communicate our interests, and they are still good thoughts, so I have only slightly revised them for We have been impressed with our imports from 2013 and The only exceptions from 2014 have been Jena od Tyrše s soft coat, Bax od Kozamberka s monorchidism, and Afra od Lhoteckého vrchu s mal-formed hip and dysplasia at 7 months. We clearly recognize that there is no perfect dog(!), and that you folks continue to breed for many of the same qualities that we do good versatile hunting dogs that are also good family dogs. We probably hunt wild birds more than you (both upland and waterfowl), and definitely hunt less big game, predators, and hares. Our Breeding Committee liked the ideas that Hiram and I sent to you in 2013 when we were first looking for pups; and I am providing nearly identical ideas again this year. First, some of the characteristics we have genuinely liked about the past CF bloodlines here in the US and that we want to ensure are in any lines with any new pups we get, include the following: Birdiness/game drive Cooperation Friendliness/easy going personality Love of water Natural retrieving Ability to down-shift and slow down when tracking Coarse, flat-lying, harsh coats.

11 April 2016 BWPGCA E&R FOUNDATION Page 9 There are a few things about which we remain a little concerned and that seem to be occurring more frequently than we prefer in our breedings over the past decade. We do NOT want to obtain dogs that seem to have the following characteristics in their ancestries, include the following: Too big running/fast running consistently searching more that 125 m from the handler Too independent sometimes like to hunt for themselves rather than for the handler Shorter coats and sparse furnishings Soft coats like Jena od Tyrše, (Don z Dočkalova dvora X City Gala Bouček) Wolf claws (rear dew claws) Poor temperaments (gun sensitive, minor growling at people and other dogs) OCD or hip dysplasia problems Thyroid problems. Overall, we would prefer male dogs in our program that are less than 32KG in weight and less than 65CM tall, with females equivalently smaller. Some of the progeny produced from past imported semen seems to have resulted in dogs (especially males) larger than standard. The dogs we have imported in 2013 and 2014 seem to be fine and nicely within size standard. All their personalities/temperaments seem great, as well. Thank you. Rick Arrangements for BWPGCA Members Planning to Import a Cesky Fousek Puppy in 2016 Members considering getting an imported puppy receive the following guidelines that Rick Sojda, Laurie Connell, Jennifer Lachowiec, and Zeb Breuckman wrote to ensure good communication about the program s goals and requirements. These were prepared based on the Club s past three years of importing 21 pups from the Czech Republic. 1. Rick, Laurie, Jen, and Ted (apprentices on the BWPGCA Breeding Committee) have been assigned the task of locating pups of interest in the Czech Republic. The process is fairly complicated and requires lots of web time and translation using google translate, and the like. We are corresponding directly with Pavel Dostál, Pavel Horák, and Silvie Neradilová. Based on trips to the CR in 2014 and 2015, Gary Pool, Laurie, and I have identified some sires and dams of interest. We have also similarly done so using the CR web site and communications. If you have connections, there, please feel free to help with guidance. 2. We will select litters of interest to our Club, and our colleagues in the Czech Republic (primarily Pavel Dostál) will select the actual puppy from that litter for you. With the assistance of the Czech Club Breed Wardens, we have developed a plan to identify litters that achieve achieve enough diversity yet still maintain flexibility in our breeding plans for the future. If all goes well, and if we are lucky, some of these dogs will end up in our North American breeding pool. We will provide you with what details

12 Page 10 THE GUN DOG SUPREME April 2016 we have about the litters so you know what is happening. You can choose the sex of your pup. If you have a strong preference on color (ticked vs. brown), we will do our best to accommodate your preference. I will generally be your main point of contact so that we keep things organized and nothing slips through the cracks, but when I am unavailable due to travel, work, or the like, you may receive from Laurie or Jen. 3. All dogs will be registered with FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale), and you will be required to register them with BWPGCA once they are here. You will also be required to submit a blood sample to Cornell for our DNA BioBank. Based on feedback from new owners in the past few years, both of these fees ($45) are now included in the total cost this year (see #5, below). There may be an additional charge from your Veterinarian for blood draw and shipment to Cornell. You will receive specific instructions for the blood draw before you receive your puppy. 4. You are required to sign a BWPGCA breeder s agreement that will be sent later; in it, you agree to abide by our standard Breeding Committee requirements. As in most things canine, there are no guarantees (literally) except that we are doing our best to import good potential hunting buddies, including all the traits towards which we strive. We have no way to recoup our costs because of the complexities of importing, and the Club offers no guarantee on your dog. But as you know, our club always comes together as family. 5. The average final cost per dog last year (2015) was $1,340. This included everything: the pup, shots and vet check in the CR, micro chip, tattoo, EU Pet Passport, shipping kennel, pet transport service, air freight shipping, a small token (~50) to Pavel, Pavel, and Silvie for their work and gas expenses, BWPGCA registration ($20), the Cornell DNA BioBank fee ($25), and a $200 donation to the BWPGCA Education and Research Foundation (this last part is tax deductible). This year, we will collect $1,350 from you about a month before your puppy ships, which allows for a lag in the payment clearing PayPal and reaching Pavel Dostál. You will send a check to our Club Treasurer, Zeb Breuckman, payable to the Bohemian Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Club of America. After the last pup is imported this year (and that may not be until late in the year), Zeb and I will do an accounting. At that point, you will be notified of the final costs. We hope that you will donate the overage (expected to be about $200) to the Education and Research Foundation. If you do, you will receive a receipt for tax purposes for the donation. Since this is, indeed a donation, you may opt not to donate all or some of that overage. For domestic puppies from the Club, breeders donate $300 for each puppy they sell (which obviously comes from the fee paid by the new owner), and we are simply using a similar process for the imports, recognizing that the overall costs are greater. 6. Shipping costs will vary from city to city. It is our intent to average the cost of shipping all the dogs imported in 2016, and then each person will pay that average cost. All other costs are effectively the same for each puppy. In the end, everyone may have to send a bit more money or you might be refunded a bit. This is always the biggest uncertainty in plan-

13 April 2016 BWPGCA E&R FOUNDATION Page 11 ning. In 2016, Dušan Smetana, Laurie Connell, and others, may be travelling to Europe for work or other purposes and may be able to bring back a puppy or two if the timing is correct. This could reduce our total shipping costs for all the pups and will be averaged like the rest of the costs. Obviously, those travelling there may have some minor additional costs to recoup, and we certainly do not wish them to be subsidizing the costs for others. Nor, will we subsidize their travel. Zeb and I will do our best to keep good records, be fair, and keep you informed. In the end, everyone will pay the same for their puppy. 7. We will only ship to major US cities where we can arrange for a non-stop flight from either Amsterdam or Zurich. In the past, this has included Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Seattle. It will be your responsibility to drive to the city you choose to pick up the dog from Air Cargo and clear U.S. Customs. Laurie has prepared a nice set of procedures that delineates all that you need to do, and we will send that to you later. As for shipping, the dogs will leave Prague, and head for either Zurich or Amsterdam. We arrange for a pet transport service to either get them to their next flight after walking, feeding and watering them, or they spend a night in either Zurich or Amsterdam with the pet transport service, and then they get them to their next nonstop flight to the U.S. the following day. When you pick up your puppy, Air Cargo offices at some US airports/customs offices have a small fee, I think it was around $50 to retrieve your dog. You will NOT need to secure any other pet transport arrangements or incur other fees once the dog in the US; although, sometimes a private company may make it look advisable or even mandatory. Laurie will guide you through that at the time. 8. In addition, folks have typically donated for a collective gift for Pavel, Pavel, and Silvie. This is strictly voluntary, and has been organized by a volunteer from one of the people receiving a puppy and is separate from your costs with the Club. 9. All owners of puppies, either domestic or imported are expected to fill out a number of health and temperament forms throughout your dogs life as well as get a PennHIP evaluation. These things all assist us in our breeding plans for the future. 10. We hope Murphy s Law does not raise its ugly head! Dogs Imported From the Czech Republic, The following table lists the puppies we have imported since An asterisk next to the Year entry in the table for 2016 indicates puppies that have already arrived in North America, or will have by the time you receive this issue of the GDS. Although it is not a quantitative measure of inbreeding, note the lack of repetition in ancestors as some indication of the diversity on our imports. For dogs, the line assigned to them is shown. For 2016, the first Roman numeral shows line assigned by the Czech Club, and the others show the additional lines in that individual s background. The point of that is that although a dog represents a particular line to which it is assigned, its genetic background is much more complex than that.

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15 April 2016 BWPGCA E&R FOUNDATION Page 13 Judy Coil Judy has served as secretary for a very long time. I think she started when I stepped down in Thank God for Judy. She got things organized and knew exactly where everything was. Still to this day, I can Judy, or call, and ask, Do you have an address for Jim Hughes? Do you have a phone number for so and so in upstate New York? You ask and Judy will know. She has traveled almost every year to attend the annual Board of Directors meeting and Judges Seminar. Not only did she travel but she brought all the important, necessary papers. She has trained and hunted so many Griffons; I ve lost track of how many. Her service to this club is often hidden. We don t see her out there like we do most of our other officers of the club. So I take my hat off to you, Judy, for the hours you have given to make our club function so well. -- Joan Bailey [NOTE: You can thank Judy yourself by sending an to her at: jcoil@paulbunyan.net] Thanks Judy! Former Secretary Judy Coil was not only a great club secretary, she is a skilled hunter, dog handler and wingshot. Just ask her husband Jon. Here she poses with Coco of- Sandhill and Aleksander of Cattail Storm. (Photo by Jon Coil)

16 Page 14 THE GUN DOG SUPREME April 2016 Of Turkeys and Fouseks I thought readers might enjoy the following from a Virginia hunter, Mr. Drew Cashatt. Drew contacted me after seeing a photo of my dog, Brinker in Gun Dog Magazine. He is seeking help in identifying the origins of his dog, Otto, which he thought might be a brown phase Bohemian Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. We weren't able to definitively resolve that issue, but in the process Drew introduced me to his favorite manner of hunting: the world of wild turkey hunting with dogs. I ve reproduced his below to give readers a little flavor of the sport. Dogs are only used in the Fall season, not the Spring. The Fall season turkey hunter needs a cooperative dog to scatter a flock of birds, then lie still beside the hunter while the calling is going on, and then make the retrieve. Sounds like just the job for a Bohemian Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. More states are allowing use of dogs all the time. Fall turkey hunting with dogs is currently allowed in 29 out of 43 states with fall seasons as of 2015: CA, CT, CO, HI, IA, ID, KS, KY, MD, ME, MI, MT, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH,OR, PA, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WV, WI, WY. Go to this website to learn more. from Mr. Drew Cashatt I really enjoyed talking with you the other night. Considering all the circumstances surrounding Otto, I am sure he came from your group of dogs. When we rescued him, I had plans of hunting grouse and woodcock with him. I have always been a spring and fall turkey hunter. Every time we went out he found turkeys. Turkey hunting with dogs is a big tradition here. I wanted to hunt with him so I contacted Jon Fries at dog.org and got a book and began our journey. Training him was relatively easy. He liked to chase deer when I first got him and I followed him across Christians Creek four times till I found him at a farm eating with their dogs. He has a chip installed, I ve never had to use it thank God. I bought a shock collar and used it for 2 years and haven t used it since. The first year was tough. No mast and small gangs of turkeys that flew off together. You have to get a good scatter to call them back. The people that hunt with me know there is no shooting at running turkeys because you could hit the dog. I m not crazy about wing shooting them either but, sometimes it does happen. He locates the gangs and scatters them. I find a tree to sit under and when the turkeys start calling, I call back. If they go to the old hen I ll let him bust them again. If I shoot one, I let him retrieve it. Gobblers are a little tough but, he can carry a hen easily. Most of the people here have turkey dogs raised by John Byrne in Lynchburg VA. They are pointer-setter-plott hound mix. They are big runners and bark at the gangs when they bust them. These dogs have to be covered with camo netting while you call because they are black and white. I ve never had to do that; Otto is solid chestnut brown. I hunt him with a bell when muzzle-loading season is in. He very seldom gets far enough away for me not to hear him. If he does he s on something.

17 April 2016 BWPGCA E&R FOUNDATION Page 15 Otto the Turkey Dog Could He Be a Cesky Fousek? Otto is now about 9-10 years old. He was rescued from a shelter around Flint, Michigan. Definitely not one of our club dogs, but there have been a few imports and litters outside the club. (Photo by Drew Cashatt) I know this is a different style of hunting from what you do because it doesn t give the dog a chance to point. I hunt Otto eight weeks every year. I have good private land to hunt and we have thousands of acres of national forest here. All less than an hour from home. I would love to have another griffon when the time comes. He is 9 and still getting around. I hunt him every other day because these mountains are tough and we both need some recovery time. I am the only guy at camp who doesn t have a 4 wheeler. I hunt on foot still and he hunts with me. These dogs truly are great foot hunters and he checks on me and if I m resting he rests too. I don t know if I can meet all the criteria for the club. This is a different form of hunting. All I know is he s the best dog I could ever have hoped for. He stays in the house with us and is part of the family. I enjoy the fact that he is different from other people s dogs and them asking: What the hell is that!? This pointer and setter country but, once they see him work they want to know all about him. Thanks for this and any help would be appreciated. Drew Cashatt (540) cashatt04@verizon.net

18 Page 16 THE GUN DOG SUPREME April 2016 On-line Training Aids from the BWPGCA Did you know that the BWPGCA has a wide variety of You Tube videos intended to help you with preparing your dog for its Natural Ability and Intermediate Hunting Dog Tests? Just Google Bohemian Wirehaired Pointing Griffon You Tube Channel or go to this link: Here is just a sample of some videos that you might find useful: Building Affinity for Water: Every year we see dogs at the natural ability test that are hesitant to swim. Coaxing and pleading may only serve to heighten the pup s anxiety around water. One effective trick is to simply wade across a swimming depth stream so pup has to swim or be left behind. This video illustrates a variant of that trick. Tracking the live bird: If you re new to testing, we have a couple videos that show the tracking test. Note how the handler approaches track and releases the dog in this video: Another tracking test video: Drag track: Not a test of tracking ability, the drag track requires the dog to follow a scent out of sight of the handler, locate the dead bird and retrieve it directly to the handler. This video shows two Dutchman s Hollow liter-mates completing the test. Enjoy some hunting videos too. Here are a couple popular ones: A Fall of Woodcock by Jon Coil: Griffons Hunting Winter Roosters by Rem DeJong

19 April 2016 BWPGCA E&R FOUNDATION Page 17 Resources for You The BWPGCA has an array of resources available to help you prepare for tests and enjoy your dog. Did you know that you can download test booklets for Natural Ability, Intermediate Hunting Dog and Utility Field tests? We keep these on the Education and Research Foundation web site. Just go to the Progeny testing link: Looking for a back issue of the GDS? Many recent issues can be found right here: Did you miss out on Board of Directors meetings? You can listen to audio recordings of the 2016, 2015 and 2014 meetings here: Curious about just how much Cesky Fousek lineage is in your dog? Check out this chart: Want to learn more about genetically associated health disorders that might be present in our breed? Here are links to several good sources: Want to see our dogs in action at our field tests? We keep large galleries of every test. See the recently completed Rocky Mountain Test and many others here: Are you a Facebook user? Participate on-line at these two club related sites. Not only do club members follow these sites, but a number of our Czech friends do as well. Sharing your pup s photos is a great way to keep in touch with the folks who bred our dogs and who share devotion to the Cesky Fousek around the world. Bohemian Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Club of America Cesky Fousek North America 20north%20america

20 Page 18 THE GUN DOG SUPREME April 2016 Heartland Chapter What s Happening Spring Test : April 21 24, 2016 Location: Mazomanie, WI see web site for details: chapters/heartland chapter/ Michigan Training Exposure Days: Generally held monthly at Marshall, MI. Next one is Saturday April 16. Contact Jim Crouse to be included on the mailing list. jcrouse01@yahoo.com Northeast Chapter Spring Test Dates: May 2016 See website for details: chapters/northeast chapter/ Complete the Canine Health Questionnaire: If you have an Intermediate Test age dog (18 24 months) don t forget to complete the Health Data Survey at: Dues Reminder: 2016 Membership Dues should have been paid by January 1st. If you re late, better go to this website quick! us/join or renew membership/